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TH104- The Works of God: Creation Bobby Long 1737-805 Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Introduction: IV. TH104 - The Works of God: Creation In exploring the works of God, concentrating on creation, is one of the most research topic in theology. Contained within this topic holds many controversial issues and has spawned many heated debates not only among scientists and theologians, but within the ranks of both.

It must be said that theology is not against science proper, but against those who wield science improperly. Science is only a tool; when used properly and within the scope of its usefulness, science is a very useful tool. At the same time, when the tool is used by those who have ulterior motives, it can be quite deceiving. For example, it would be like blaming the hammer for poorly built house. It was not the hammers fault, but the one using the hammer.

The same can be said with theology and its uses. In the hands of the humble, theology can help in the understanding of God and His decrees and the understanding of His Word. However, in the hands of a deceiver, theology can be devastating to those not equipped to combat such a person.

The goal of this paper is not to combat science. As the creation of God is explored, there will be Biblical truths that are contrary to what mainstream scientist will see as false. It must be understood that the tool is not being attacked; only the gospel of evolution which has time as its god and the compromised gospel this teaching has spawned. Paul encouraging Titus states, Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Titus 1:9 KJV.

1. The Definition of Creation It was once said that if a person can get past the Genesis 1:1, the rest of the Bible becomes a whole lot easier. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Gen. 1:1 KJV. The definition of this word alone can speak volumes to the text. In the Hebrew language, there are three words for create or creation; they are 1) bara, 2) asah, and 3) yatsar. Isaiah 45:18 uses all three words in the same verse. For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I [am] the LORD; and [there is] none else. Isa. 45:18 KJV Is this verse the bolded word created is bara, the bolded word formed is yatsar and the bolded word made is asah. In the Genesis passages concerning Gods creations, the word bara, is used. The cumulative meanings as taken from many scholars would indicate that bara mostly means to make something from nothing or in Latin, ex nihilo. Its emphasis is on the initiation of the object being created and not the forming or shaping of that object. It is a verb used only in conjunction with, and exclusively of God describing a divine act of brining something new into existence. Waltke says this of the word created: "created (bara). ... Although many verbs denote Gods activity of bringing creation into existence, bara distinguishes itself by being used exclusively of God. His creation reveals his immeasurable power and might, his bewildering imagination and wisdom, his immortality and transcendence, ultimately leaving the finite mortal in mystery. The earth endures in part because it is brought into existence through Gods wisdom, which entails his righteousness."1 Bara is translated forty-five times in the Bible. In Genesis alone it is used to describe way that every living creature that was brought forth from the waters and every fowl of the air. This word is also used to describe the way that mankind came into existence. In the New Testament, this word is used in the Greek form ktizo. Ephesians 2:10 uses bara

to describe Gods handy work in forming us in Christ. Ephesians 4:24 describes out we are to put on the new man that God has baraed. Revelation 4:10 and 10:6 speak to the heavens and all that is within them as being a direct and divine creative act of God.

Asah and Yatsar are different than bara. In Isaiah 65:17-18, bara describes the same creative act as in Genesis 1:1 pertaining to the new heavens and the new earth in which the new Jerusalem will come down to when it says, For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever [in that] which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. Isa. 65:17-18 KJV. Asah means to fashion or make something or to put something in order and arrangement. This word is used to describe how the firmament was formed in Genesis 1:7, how God made the sun and moon in Genesis 1:16, and how the beasts of the field were fashioned in Genesis 1:25. It is in the asah way that God also made the ground to produce every tree that was good to look upon and eat the fruit thereof in Genesis 2:9.

This word asah is also used to describe how woman came to be. In Genesis 2:22 we learn that God took from Adam whom He baraed and asahed woman. Adam was a direct creation of God, yet formed from the dust of the earth says Genesis 2:7, and woman was made or fashioned from man. In Genesis 8:1, God made a wind to pass over the earth. In other words, God fashioned a wind out of existing substances. Genesis 9:6 says, Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. Gen. 9.6 KJV. Adam was a direct creation of God as indicated in Genesis 1:27. Adam was created in the image and likeness of God in that mans soul would be eternal in nature, and with a consciousness of God and the ability to communicate with God. Man was fashioned with the ability to make informed choices which were eternal in nature. After being created, was formed into the image of God. In Genesis 1:26 we read, And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Gen. 1:26 KJV. It is astounding to realize that when scripture says that we are new creation, this is not indicating a revamping or re-arranging of something already in existence, but a whole new creation. Our very nature is changed upon salvation into a being that is totally

distinct from the former although our outward physical flesh is unchanged. Thus, the former things are past away and all things are new; not polished up; but new. At the same time, it is quite evident in scripture that asah is used to describe the same creative act of God, and therefore we cannot be too dogmatic about the use of this word as to eliminate a creative act of God.

Yasar means to fashion or frame like a potter would clay. In Job 33:6, Job states that he was formed or fashioned out of clay. In Psalm 95:5 we read that God formed or fashioned the dry land. In Isaiah 53:21, this word is used to describe how God formed Israel as a people; This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. Isa. 53:21 KJV. God took a people already in existence and made them His own.

It should be recognized as to the purpose that some make such an enormous issue out of the word use. If the purpose is to understand the text and the meaning while not sacrificing the clear teaching of the totality of scripture, then the purpose can be useful. If the purpose is to try and fit the teaching of scripture into a faulty, unproven, debunked theory of evolution and a multiple billion year universe with time as the god, then the purpose is heretical and not God honoring.

2. The Proof of the Doctrine of Creation The doctrine of the creation is not unlike any other doctrine in Christianity. To read Genesis 1:1, there must be faith induced. However, this faith does not have to be blind faith. One does not have to check their logic or their reason at the door when faith is mentioned. On the contrary, the Christian faith is based on evidences which are proven over and over again, allowing us to have a solid hope in the Word of God and the person of Jesus Christ as testified of by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God.

There are really only two options as to how this universe and all in it came to be; 1) Creation by God as the Biblical account stands, and 2) Evolution where random events and in essence, in the beginning was nothing, and it exploded. George Wald, a Nobel Peace Prize winner in the field of medicine and physics writes, The reasonable view was to believe in spontaneous generation; the only alternative, to believe in a single, primary act of supernatural creation. There is no third position. He goes on to say, Most modern biologists, having reviewed with satisfaction the downfall of the spontaneous generation hypothesis, yet unwilling to accept the alternative belief in special creation, are left with nothing.2 In scripture, creation is another example of a presupposition scripture holds. Scripture does not set out to prove divine creation, but puts the facts in writing as if no other explanation is needed. The same is with God. Scripture does not set out to prove the existence of God, but presupposes the writing. All through the Word, God is the sole creator of the universe and all that is within it. There was no gods beside Him and there was no other god before Him. He laid the foundation of the world and told the seas how far they could go. He alone hung the stars in place and gave life to the earth and to man. Scripture does not set out to prove these facts, but declares them to be so. Nature and true science can do nothing but support the Biblical account and if they seem to be at odds, it will be the theories of science that will fail, not the Word of God.

In this battle, the clear question is did man bring death in the world or did death bring man in the world. The former requires a perfect creator that redeems and the other does not. If man did not bring death in the world then there is no redemption needed for man and Christs sacrifice was futile and pathetic at best. This is not the case. Paul puts a clear target on the origin of the entrance of death to this world and to the posterity of mankind and his name was Adam. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:12 KJV.

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 KJV. This verse indicates that although Adam brought sin to the world, the first sinner that brought sin to the universe was Satan as he fell due to pride and arrogance springing from the magnificence of how he was created. One might ask, what does this have to do with creation? There are lines of thought that states that the earth prior to Genesis 1 was created and became without form or void. This theory sometimes goes by called the Gap Theory. Most versions of the gap theory place millions of years of geologic time (including billions of fossil animals) in between these two first verses of Genesis. This is the ruin-reconstruction version of the gap theory.3 The theory goes on to put forth the idea that there was a pre-Adamic race and animals that lived, died, fossilized and ultimately, when Satan fell, the earth became without form and void.

There are severe issues with this theory. The most glaring is brought to light when scripture says, And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Gen. 1:31 KJV. If Satan fell sometime within the six days of creation, then God would not have called it good. This also means that there was death prior to Adam which caused the fossil record. Satans fall and this theory will be dealt with in greater detail later.

Although there may be controversy surrounding the meaning of some of the words and phrases, there are several areas that should not be compromised. One being that God is the sole initiator of the creation and beside Him there was none other. Another is that God is separate and distinct from His creation even though He is intimately involved in it. God created the universe and all that is within it and it was good.

In 2004, an interesting study was done by Dr. Steven W. Boyd of the Institute for Creation Research. Steven W. Boyd, has a Ph.D. in Hebraic and Cognate Studies and is an Associate Professor of Bible at The Masters College in Santa Clarita, California. In essence, the study tries to indicate the foundational strength of those that would read

Genesis 1-3 as poetry instead of a narrative as is the classical view. Dr. Boyd sampled forty-eight random Hebrew narratives and forty-nine random Hebrew poetry selections and subjected them to statistical scrutiny. This test was to determine whether or not the ratio of preterites to finite verb usage within the samples was distributed based on the genre of poetry or narrative in a way that was statistically significant.

http://www.icr.org/article/24/

In the above graph, preterite verbs dominate in the narrative accounts while perfect and imperfect verbs clearly dominate in the poetic accounts of the same event. When potting the original language found in Genesis 1-3, the statistical probability, based on the verb usage of the text, that Genesis should be read as a narrative and not poetry is 0.999972604.

Dr. Boyds concluded that, The distribution of preterites to finite verbs in Hebrew narrative differs distinctly from that in Hebrew poetry. Moreover, a logistic regression model fitted to the ratio of preterites to finite verbs categorizes texts as narrative or poetry to an extraordinary level of accuracy. With its probability of virtually 1, Genesis 1:12:3, therefore, is a narrative, not poetry. 4 Boyd goes on to state the implications of his findings: Three major implications from this study are (1) it is not statistically defensible to read Genesis 1:12:3 as poetry; (2) since Genesis 1:12:3 is a narrative, it should be read as other Hebrew narratives are intended to be read as a concise report of actual events, couched to convey an unmistakable theological message;13 and (3) when this text is read as a narrative, there is only one tenable view of its plain sense: God created everything in six literal days. 5 Hodges puts forth the conclusion that the proof of the doctrine of creation does not lay with the words of Genesis one concerning creation or formation, because God is said to be both the creator of heaven and earth but also the maker of heaven and earth. He puts for the proof of creation into seven sections: 1 & 2) Items one and two deal with God being He who calls things into existence.

Because scripture never indicates in any way, that matter exuded from His substance, or that it was formed from any pre-existent material, or that life was embedded within matter itself, the only option left, and the one that is biblically solid is that God degree it to be and it was; not existing in any other form prior, but was called forth from nothing.6 3 & 4) Hodges puts forth the third and fourth proof which focuses on the

dependence of all life and all creation on God as the creation. This proof points to the fact that the creator cannot be subject to his creation, and that creation was not independent of God, yet God is independent and separate from the creation. The universe is from a decree of God who is the sole cause.7 5) The fifth proof is one focusing on the nature of faith in the fact that the creation is a fundamental truth of scripture and the Christian faith. The only thing we really know of creation is that which God chooses to reveal to His creation. God did not just make the universe but ordered it. This is indicative of the God that Paul

sets for in Corinthians as being one that is honored in His Church by order just has He set the entirety of the Universe in order. 6) The six proof is established from the fact that only God is eternal. All the passages that stated that the world had a beginning is proof that God had to have created it from nothing because only God is eternal. If only God is eternal then that assumes that everything else is temporal. The only things that are eternal was that which was prior to the creation. The world, therefore, is not eternal, and if not eternal it must have had a beginning, and if all things had a beginning, then there must have been a creation ex nihilo.8 7) The last proof put forth by Hodges is in the perfection of God and the fact that if anything exists outside of His purpose and decrees, then this limits God. An all inclusive creation is a foundational necessity to classical Christian Theism.9

The moral account of creation Within the scope of reason, there are only three ways the matter of the universe could have come into existence. The first one would demand that the universe inclusive of all matter is eternal and self-existent. Matter is organized and does not exhibit any exhibits no power in itself to bring forth life. Therefore, matter is a produced substance and is not eternal and self-existent.

The next theory is that all matter is a made out of the same substance of God. This is not logical nor is it Biblical and is classified as Pantheistic. If this were the case, matter and everything in it would exhibit the nature of God. One of the attributes of God is that He is eternal. Revelation states that one day the heavens and earth will be destroyed. If this matter is of God, then it would be, as one of its attributes, eternal; in other words it could not be destroyed. This line of thought would also make a god out of the creation.

The true teaching of scripture is quite clear that God is separate from His creation and creation is subject to Him. God created yet is distinct from His creation. This creation will undergo a redemption in which all creation moans for that day. If creation moans for

redemption then it was affected directly by the fall; this event is something that cannot be said of God since God is distinct from His creation.

The third and final way in which the universe came to be can be summed up in a term used before in this paper, ex nihilo or something from nothing. This is the classic view and the only logical view that can be held. Murrell states that, Unless nature is viewed as a closed system, it is rational to believe in One who stands outside the system as the Author of all life.10

Within the six days of creation, God does something that no other part of His creation will be able to do. God creates man in His image. No other animal, plant, or any other part of creation has the ability to communicate silently with God, or relate to Him is a way that is as intimate. House states that, Only human beings can relate to God through spoken communication; only human beings receive Gods personal blessing; only human beings are stewards of the rest of the created order.11 The moral account of creation stands on the premise that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days with the evening and morning being day one or echad in Hebrew which is a fix definite starting point. This was day one with no other days being prior to it.12 All other days of creation came after this one as can be seen in the second morning and evening of the second day or sheniy. On Day one, the formless earth was created along with light and which was separated indicating the rotation of the earth began at this time. The second day brought the separation of the waters forming the atmosphere, subterranean and oceanic waters and dividing them from the water vapor canopy that encapsulated the earth. The third day God made dry land appear and filled it with fruit bearing trees, vegetation, and other seed-bearing plants. The sun, moon, and stars appeared on the fourth day giving rise to seasons, months, and years. On the fifth day, God made the all the different kinds of water creatures and birds of the air. On the sixth day, God created the land animals; big and small domestic and wild. Man was created on the six day and also woman. On the seventh day, God rested from His work

and all that was created, was and God ceased from His labor. Thus the law of conservation of matter is still intact today; matter can neither be destroyed nor created.

Those who attempt to deny the existence of God and the creation as set in place by a creator are faced with the reality of their own presupposition ex nihilo nihil fit which essentially says, that what is created out of nothing, nothing is created. I think it is

interesting that science speaks of the natural laws and the physical laws; the laws of physics and of the cosmos, yet they fail to recognize the complexity of the system requires a law giver. The atheistic view of the universe is one in which must embrace the presupposition that life is embedded within that which life springs. This falls apart when science is asked to give an example of random innate matter bringing forth life.

From a Biblical stand point, Gods creation was free in that the universe and this world were not necessary. From this understanding, we can see that the universe is not eternal and had a beginning; in other words, it began to be. God is self-sufficient and in need of nothing. With this in mind, we can understand that God did not need to create a world that gives Him glory or pleasure. God does not need man; God is the creator and our responsibilities are to Him.

The immediate creation of the universe Within the discussion of immediate creation is what should be assigned to the immediate creation of God. Some would argue that only the first verse of Genesis 1 should be included in the immediate creation of God and the rest is mediate. There are others that say that it is a combination of both. The immediate creation of God would include the heavens and the earth, the angels, and of course, the soul of man and life in general. Pastor Bob Burridge writing for The Geneva Institute of Reformed Studies states, It must be kept in mind that while creation did not originate from any preexistent matter or its counter-part in energy, it did begin from something. It originated in the decree and power of God who exists eternally.13

Genesis 2:1 states that, And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Genesis 2:1 KJV. In the commentary by Robert Jamieson, he states this concerning the finishing of the work by God; brought to completion. No permanent change has ever since been made in the course of the world, no new species of animals been formed, no law of nature repealed or added to. They could have been finished in a moment as well as in six days, but the work of creation was gradual for the instruction of man, as well, perhaps, as of higher creatures.14 Also within the immediate creation of God was time itself. With the declaration of the morning and evening as Day ONE, God set forth the dimension of time as a physical.

The mediate creation of the present universe As plainly as can be put, whatever was created or formed, God did it all in six days. All conjectures or theories as to the creation and what was formed are trivial compared to the God that created. One can see the progression of our earth as God said, let there be and there indicating order out of chaos. This does not necessarily mean that all matter was created then God formed everything out of the created matter, but could mean that God methodically and orderly made the earth inhabitable for man and this organization is the mediate creation of God.

There is a distinction that Rev. James Petigru Boyce, D. D., L. L., D. of Joseph-EmersonBrown Professor of Systematic Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary made in 1887, between immediate creation and mediate creation. Immediate would be the creative act of calling forth something from nothing such as matter, and mediate creation, which would be the fashioning of objects from already called forth material. He states, A distinction is made between immediate or primary creation, which is that act by which God acts directly without the use of pre-existent materials, and mediate and secondary creations, which are those acts by which out of pre-existent materials he produces his creatures. The universe of matter was an immediate creation. The body of Adam was a mediate one, and so, also, are those of all his posterity.15

With this said, order out of chaos is indicative of an immediate creation and a mediate creation. The creation events that would lie within the mediate creation would be dry land and the oceans when God separated the waters. Hodges says, And the Bible constantly speaks of God as causing the grass to grow, and as being the real author or maker of all that the earth, air, or water produces.16 This creative act has caused the formation of many false doctrines and assumption that have become more evident and accepted as man attempts to detach himself from the moral responsibilities inerrant to the fact that there is a creator God and we are morally responsible to His plans and judgments.

Exodus 20:11 expounds on the Sabbath day and says, For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exo. 20:11 KJV. This verse shows that Moses, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, wants the reader to believe that God intends for man to rest after six literal days of rest, just as He rested after six literal days of rest. There is no clearer passage in scripture that points to a six literal day creation.

Exodus 20:11 refutes the Day-Age theory or the theistic theory. This theory puts forth the thought that day indicates an eon of time by which God could create matter, and then set in motion evolutionary processes to form it. Again, this theory is in direct conflict with scripture. This theory indicates that death brought man in the world, when scripture declares that man brought death in the world.

Another, more subtle take on theistic creation is Progressive Creationism. This theory states that God created all matter then formed it out of His own predetermined will and plan; but a closer look, reveals more. This author calls it the Somewhere In Between Theory. Its doctrines lie somewhere between classical creationists and theistic creation or evolution. Caution should be taken when confronted by anything that tries to compromise with the word of God. Finding middle ground has a hint of moral uprightness to it, but when confronted with the holy Word of God, our theories must always bow and the Word stand firm. Hidden within this view, is the reliance on God to

use natural laws and long periods of time to accomplish the forming of what we see today. Progressive Creationism denies six literal days for eons, however, affirming that God was at every stage of the forming which is in conflict with Exodus 20:11. The Progressive Creationist denies the Biblical flood account in which all life on the planet was destroyed for a view that states the flood was regional in nature. This denies the clear teaching of scripture: And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. Genesis 6:7 KJV. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:13 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that [were] under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils [was] the breath of life, of all that [was] in the dry [land], died. Genesis 7: 18-22 KJV. Progressive Creationist also holds that even though mans spirit is distinct, the body is from the ground and therefore, we should have no problem with being linked to the ancestry of chimpanzees.17 This is totally extra-biblical because the scriptural record indicates that man did not evolve and was created as a man. The progressive creationist will site the fact that our DNA only differs by a small percentage. What they fail to realize is that this percentage equates to tens of thousands of chromosomal changes. Armed with this information, it is easy to universal gulf that must be traversed when only one chromosomal change results in Mongoloidism.

The most damaging and unbiblical premise is that eons of years holding death and destruction occurred prior to Adam and Eve. This means that death and destruction were not caused by Adams sin. This brings us back to the question set forth, did man bring death in the world as scripture teaches or did death bring man in the world?

Progressive Creationism is in direct conflict with the teaching of Paul: For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Cor. 15:21-22 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:12 Due to the fact that a progressive creationist denies the flood of Noah, the fossil record is said to have been produced within the eons of time in which God used natural selection and natural forces to make. In essence, God wound up the universe like a clock and then let it go on auto pilot using the laws of nature. Does Genesis 1:2 represent the original condition of the earth or a condition due to some great cataclysm? The idea and the impending implications of the Gap Theory will be explored in this section. The Gap Theory was first proposed by a Scottish minister named Chalmers. In 1814 scientists were beginning to teach that the earth was billions of years in age. Chalmers theorized a gap in time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 as a means to combat the scientific community and its old universe doctrine. It is said that some of the greatest harm can be done by someone with good intensions can be attributed to Minister Chalmers. Although well intentioned, Chalmers hypothesis has no scriptural reason to infer or imply that such a gap ever existed.

This theory states that there is an extremely large amount of time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. Within this millions of years, the earth experienced cataclysmic judgment from God as a result of Lucifers fall. The verses after Genesis 1:1 are an actual re-creation of something that became without form or void. It was during these millions of years that the geologic ages were happening along with the fossil record that we see today. In other words, the events of Genesis one was a re-creation and not an act of initial creation.

One of the most interesting and controversial aspects of this, not taking into account that this would mean that there was death prior to the fall of man, is the cause of this cataclysm; the fall of Lucifer as the anointed Cherub that covers. The fall of Satan would have had to be after the foundations of the earth were laid according to Job 38:4-7 which says, Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38: 4-7 KJV. These verses in Job indicate that all the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy. If all means all, the Satan was apart of the celebration. This would infer that he was not cast down at this time and was joyous when the earth was made and had not fallen.

Paul states that "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Ephesians 2:2 KJV. The only way this verse would be true is if Satan was cast down AFTER this world came into existence. Also note that Satan walks according to the course of THIS world, not another world past. The strongest theory and the one this author holds, is that Satan fell after the seventh day of creation but prior to the fall of man in Genesis 3. Reason being is that Satan was in Garden prior to the fall and was enraged when God saw that which was created a little lower than angels, was receiving communion and fellowship with God in a way that angels were not privileged. Another reason is that when God finished His handiwork, He stated that it was very good.

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north." Isaiah 14:12-13 KJV. Satan

wanted to be like God and was cast down. Satan sees mankind and the fellowship Adam has with God, and strikes back at God by tempting man to his ultimate fall.

John 8:44 says, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning." KJV. This is very interesting in that the passage says from the beginning; not before the beginning. The question then must be raised, from the beginning of what?

Could it be that the beginning is the beginning of the universe? The answer is no. That would make Satan working for God for millions of years as a deceitfully wicket angel. As we stated before, it wasnt from the beginning of the earth because all of Gods angels rejoiced at the laying of the foundation.

Satans heart started to become twisted at the beginning or at the creation of mankind. Our existence and fellowship with God began to twist Satan to the point where He believed He could do a better job than God who fellowshipped with a lower being such as man. These problems are not unexpected, and the incomplete acceptance of such a theory by the Biblical community comes as no surprise when one considers that the single purpose of the theory is an attempt at reconciliation with humanistic science. What is the age of the earth? From the classical point of view, the earths age can be determined by looking at the birth certificates of Biblical characters and arriving at a date of the age of the earth. From Adam to Abraham is about 2000 years. Five days must be added to that because of the prior creation days. Scholars agree that Abraham lived about 2000 BC. That would give us a young earth of about 6000 years. Bishop Ussher, who lived in the late 16th century and early 17th century, calculated the biblical record as indicating 4004 years B.C.

Other scholars give calculations ranging from 3800 BC to 5001 BC. The majority of the differences lie in the text being used. Some used the Septuagint which is a translation of

the Hebrew text to Greek in 275 BC. The other translation is the Masoretic Text that was completed about 900 AD.

The inference is consistent. Whether cultural, or Biblical; scholars have meticulously labored over these dates and all indications that from the historical record, the earth is thousands of years old; not billions.

Other biblical proofs of creation The creative acts of God can be seen throughout the Old and New Testament. The following are some of the passages that speak to the creative act of God. Within the book of Isaiah, we find the prophet declaring the word of Lord toward the creation of heaven itself in Isaiah 40:26, the creation of mankind in 43:1 and 54:16, and then He speaks of heaven and earth and everything within them as in Isaiah 45:12.

In the New Testament, we find creation being attributed to each person of the Trinity. In Psalms 104:30 the spirit is involved in creation, the Son is the source of creation in Colossians 1:16. Christianity confirms that creation came through the sovereign will and working of an infinite God, who, though immanent in His creation, also transcends His creation.18

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1

Waltke, Bruce K., Genesis: A Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001. pg. 58-59. Wald, George. 1954. The Origin of Life, Scientific American, 191 [2]: pg. 44-53, August. Extracted from http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aig/aig-c003.html on 1/25/09.

Boyd., Dr. Stephen W. Ph.D., Impact Vital Articles on Science/Creation., THE BIBLICAL HEBREW CREATION ACCOUNT: NEW NUMBERS TELL THE STORY., Article #377., P.O. Box 2667, El Cajon, CA 92021. Extracted from http://www.icr.org/i/pdf/imp/imp-377.pdf on 1/25/09.
5

Boyd., Dr. Stephen W. Ph.D., Impact Vital Articles on Science/Creation., THE BIBLICAL HEBREW CREATION ACCOUNT: NEW NUMBERS TELL THE STORY., Article #377., P.O. Box 2667, El Cajon, CA 92021. Extracted from http://www.icr.org/i/pdf/imp/imp-377.pdf on 1/25/09. Hodge, Charles (1797-1878)., Systematic Theology Volume 1., Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library., 2005-06-20., Ch. 10. pg. 417.
7 6

Hodge, Charles (1797-1878)., ibid. pg 418 Hodge, Charles (1797-1878)., ibid. pg. 419 Hodge, Charles (1797-1878)., ibid. pg. 419

10

Murrell, Stanford E. Ph.D., A Foundation for Faith A n Introductory Study of Systematic Theology With References To The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. pg. 55 House. Paul R., Creation in Old Testament Theology. Pg. 8

11

Extracted from http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H259&t=KJV on 1/25/09.

13

12

Burridge, Bob., Boundaries of the Doctrine of Creation. Theology Proper. Lesson 5a. Pg. 2

14

Jamieson, Robert. The First Book of Moses, Called Genesis Commentary by Robert Jamieson. Ch. 2. as Extracted from http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=7&contentID=1883&commInfo =6&topic=Genesis on 1/25/09.
15

Boyce, Rev. James P. D. D. L.L. D.(1887) Abstract of Systematic Theology. Ch. XVII.

Hodge, Charles (1797-1878)., Systematic Theology Volume 1., Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library., 2005-06-20., Ch. 10. pg. 415.
17

16

Extracted from http://www.godandscience.org/youngearth/progressive.html on 1/25/09.

18

Theissen, Henry Clarence., Doerksen, Vernon D. Lectures in Systematic Theology. Published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1979. Pg. 117

QUESTIONS: 1. Are creation doctrine and science proper diametrically opposed to each other?

It must be said that theology is not against science proper, but against those who wield science improperly. 2. How should false doctrine be biblically addressed?

Titus states, Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Titus 1:9 KJV. 3. What are the three words used in conjunction with the creation account?

The definition of this word alone can speak volumes to the text. In the Hebrew language, there are three words for create or creation; they are 1) bara, 2) asah, and 3) yatsar. 4. What does the word Yasar mean?

Yasar means to fashion or frame like a potter would clay. In Job 33:6, Job states that he was formed or fashioned out of clay. 5. It takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does in the biblical account of creation. Must Christians blindly take the creation account as fact without any proof? On the contrary, the Christian faith is based on evidences which are proven over and over again, allowing us to have a solid hope in the Word of God and the person of Jesus Christ as testified of by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. 6. Does scripture set out to prove creation?

Scripture does not set out to prove divine creation, but puts the facts in writing as if no other explanation is needed. The same is with God. Scripture does not set out to prove the existence of God, but presupposes the writing. 7. What does Nobel Peace Prize winner George Walde say concerning spontaneous generation of life? The reasonable view was to believe in spontaneous generation; the only alternative, to believe in a single, primary act of supernatural creation. There is no third position. Most modern biologists, having reviewed with satisfaction the downfall of the spontaneous generation hypothesis, yet unwilling to accept the alternative belief in special creation, are left with nothing.18

8.

Who brought sin into the world?

Paul puts a clear target on the origin of the entrance of death to this world and to the posterity of mankind and his name was Adam. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:12 KJV.

9.

What are two unmovable facts of classic biblical creation?

Although there may be controversy surrounding the meaning of some of the words and phrases, there are several are as that should not be compromised. One being that God is the sole initiator of the creation and beside Him there was none other. Another is that God is separate and distinct from His creation even though He is intimately involved in it. God created the universe and all that is within it and it was good.

10.

List the two summary beliefs concerning the universe and matter.

There are really only two options as to how this universe and all in it came to be; 1) Creation by God as the Biblical account stands, and 2) Evolution where random events and in essence, in the beginning was nothing, and it exploded. 11. Dr. Boyd statistically stated the probability that Genesis 1 3 was to be read as a narrative and not as poetry. What does Dr. Boyd base his findings on?

When potting the original language found in Genesis 1-3, the statistical probability, based on the verb usage of the text, that Genesis should be read as a narrative and not poetry is 0.999972604. 12. What is one premise of the Gap Theory?

There are lines of thought that states that the earth prior to Genesis 1 was created and became without form or void. This theory sometimes goes by called the Gap Theory. 13. What does the term ex nihilo have to do with creation?

The third and final way in which the universe came to be can be summed up in a term used before in this paper, ex nihilo or something from nothing. This is the classic view and the only logical view that can be held. Murrell states that, Unless nature is viewed as a closed system, it is rational to believe in One who stands outside the system as the Author of all life.18

14. What does Boyd give as the statistical probability that Genesis 1-3 be based on narrative and not poetry. With its probability of virtually 1, Genesis 1:1-2:3, therefore, is a narrative, not poetry. 18 15. What does ex nihilo nihil fit mean?

Those who attempt to deny the existence of God and the creation as set in place by a creator are faced with the reality of their own presupposition ex nihilo nihil fit which essentially says, that what is created out of nothing, nothing is created. 16. Does Hodges base his proof of the doctrine of creation on the wording used in Genesis 1? Hodges puts forth the conclusion that the proof of the doctrine of creation does not lay with the words of Genesis one concerning creation or formation, because God is said to be both the creator of heaven and earth but also the maker of heaven and earth. 17. What is does God intend the reader to believe in Exodus 20:11?

Exo. 20:11 KJV. This verse shows that Moses, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, wants the reader to believe that God intends for man to rest after six literal days of rest, just as He rested after six literal days of rest. There is no clearer passage in scripture that points to a six literal day creation. 18. How does the progressive creationist view the global flood event of Noah?

The Progressive Creationist denies the Biblical flood account in which all life on the planet was destroyed for a view that states the flood was regional in nature. 19. Who proposed the Gap Theory and why?

The Gap Theory was first proposed by a Scottish minister named Chalmers. In 1814 scientists were beginning to teach that the earth was billions of years in age. Chalmers theorized a gap in time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 as a means to combat the scientific community and its old universe doctrine. 20. What can be summarized concerning the age of the earth?

The inference is consistent. Whether cultural, or Biblical; scholars have meticulously labored over these dates and all indications that from the historical record, the earth is thousands of years old; not billions.